The following is a tabulation of relevant prior art:
U.S. PatentsPat. No.Kind CodePubl. DatePatentee7,594,874B22009 Sep. 29Meissner7,523,899B22009 Apr. 28Cormier7,520,837B12009 Apr. 21Sudeith6,592,102B22003 Jul. 15Telles6,551,216B22003 Apr. 22Rennex5,033,583A1991 Jul. 23Candelaria4,842,230A1989 Jul. 27Cobb4,582,284A1986 Apr. 15Veenstra4,249,635A1981 Feb. 10WestU.S. Patent Application PublicationsPublication Nr.Kind CodePubl. DateApplicant20070082791A12007 Apr. 12Reese
Rock climbing is an increasingly popular hobby and recreational activity. At different skill levels, climbing can serve as intense physical training or as entertainment for children. To serve the growing audience of climbers, artificial climbing walls are built. Many of these artificial climbing walls are large steel frameworks on to which plastic climbing holds are attached. Such climbing walls can be found in climbing gyms, which are large warehouses filled with such walls, or, in a miniature form, in playgrounds for children to play on.
Examples of such climbing structures can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,520,837 and Patent Application 20070082791. Both describe outdoor climbing structures that can be constructed and anchored to the ground to allow recreational climbers and children to climb as a playground activity. Unfortunately, these playgrounds can be expensive and take up a lot of space. One must build dedicated structures for these playgrounds. These structures are expensive to build and few recreational climbers and children get access to such climbing walls.
Another example of a novel climbing structure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,551,216, which describes a netlike climbing structure that can offer variable climbing routes. The structure is assembled in the form of a large tent with a tall center pole that multiple layers of nets are draped over. The structure would also require a large investment in space and equipment since a user would need to acquire a large set of nets and poles and then install the equipment into a dedicated space.
Prior art also exists in the form of inventions intended to hang ornaments from chain-link fences. U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,284 describes a cruciform-shaped device with a hook intended to hang clothing and tennis equipment from chain-link fences. That device would not be able to withstand the dynamic forces of a climbing hold, including those forces that a climber can impart by hanging or pulling on the hold, and which may knock the hook out of the chain-link fence.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,523,899 describes a bracket that offers a mounting position for signage and does not foresee the combination of the bracket mount with a climbing hold. The bracket lacks a handful of characteristics necessary to function as a climbing hold attachment device. One issue is that the flat flange depicted in that patent would not properly mate with the uneven surface of a chain-link fence. A second issue is that the sign clamps onto the raised boss of the bracket before the sign touches the fence. This does not prevent the sign from moving relative to the fence. If a climbing hold were to be used with that device, the dynamic forces from the climbing hold would shift the device from side to side. Also, the device requires simultaneous access to both sides of the fence so that one can place the mounting block on the far side while screwing the sign in from the near side.